FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

South Korea’s Moon Jae-in: We Have ‘A Precious Chance with North Korea’

March 12, 2018 (EIRNS)—South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for all-out efforts this morning to make the dialogue with Pyongyang a success.

“We now have a very precious chance to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, establish a permanent peace regime, and build a path of joint prosperity for South and North Korea,”

the President said in the weekly meeting with his aides, held at his office Cheong Wa Dae (the “Blue House”). “Should we succeed, there will be dramatic changes in world history, and the Republic of Korea will have played the leading role,” he said, according to Yonhap.

Moon’s envoys, who made the breakthroughs in Pyongyang and Washington, last week, were in Beijing and Tokyo today. In Beijing, South Korean National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong met with President Xi Jinping. As reported by the South China Morning Post, Xi said in his meeting with Chung, that the North Korean nuclear crisis is at a crossroads, and that Washington and Pyongyang should hold direct talks as soon as possible.

“China has been calling for both South and North Korea to improve their relationship; push for reconciliation and cooperation, and support dialogue between North Korea and the United States,”

Xi was quoted as saying. “We look forward to the smooth organization of the South-North leaders meeting and dialogue between North Korea and the U.S.” Chung also moved South Korean-Chinese relations forward by delivering an invitation from Moon to Xi to make a state visit to South Korea.

Chung also met with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi, ahead of his meeting with Xi. Yang said,

“China commits itself to the efforts of realizing denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula, and resolving things through dialogue and negotiations.”

Further,

“The dramatic developments unfolding on the Korean Peninsula seem to conform with efforts to bring the denuclearization drive for the Korean Peninsula back on track and also with the direction of the UN Security Council resolutions.”

On March 13 Chung will be in Moscow for meetings with Russian leaders; as well, Seoul’s National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Suh Hoon accompanied Chung to the United States last week. Today he met with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono.